By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The Chicago Bulls held on to defeat the Milwaukee Bucks, 114-110, and tie the NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference Quarterfinals best-of-seven series at 1-1 on Wednesday.
DeMar DeRozan scored 41 points. Montenegrin Nikola Vucevic threw in a 24-point, 13-rebound double-double alongside two assists and one steal helping his side knot the series before a couple of games in Chicago.
“We expected those guys to make a run,” the European big man commented on the reigning champions nearly coming back from a 16-point deficit down the stretch, “They’re a championship team for a reason. They’ve been there before, so we expected them to make a run.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded a team-high 33 points to surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and become the player with the most postseason points in Bucks history. His 40-minute showing also featured 18 rebounds, nine assists, two blocks, and one steal.
A couple of early exits increased the damage for the Bucks. Khris Middleton suffered an MCL sprain in his left knee and Bobby Portis a right eye abrasion.
Congolese-Spanish Serge Ibaka was limited to a brief fruitless showing, while Greek Thanasis Antetokounmpo did not check in the court and Georgian Sandro Mamukelashvili was inactive. Montenegrin Marko Simonovic stayed on the bench for the Bulls.
Earlier, the Philadelphia 76ers edged the Toronto Raptors, 104-101, in overtime for a 3-0 lead. British OG Anunoby logged a team-high 26 points for the losing side. Fellow Europeans Isaac Bonga, Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, and Furkan Korkmaz stayed on respective benches.
In addition, the Boston Celtics went up 2-0 thanks to the 114-107 victory opposite the Brooklyn Nets. German Daniel Theis started for the hosts and chipped in 15 points. Slovenian Goran Dragic got 18 points coming off the bench for the Nets.